In conventional spinning practice, single fibers are spun and used as basic building blocks in the manufacture of the more complex fiber structures. Prior to the spinning process, fibers, which can be of natural or synthetic origin, are processed using various steps including, but not limited to carding, gilling, combing, drawing and roving. Such fibers may be extracted from various animals (i.e. alpacas, llamas, dogs, cats, etc.).
The prepared fiber is then creeled in a spinning frame where it is subjected first to a draft, or attenuation, by which the linear density of the fiber is reduced to a required level, and is then twisted with an amount of twist which depends upon the thickness of the fiber and its intended use. The spinning operation is normally carried out on a machine such as a ringframe, a cap-frame or a flyer-frame, in which the rotation of a spindle serves to both insert twist into the fiber and to wind the fiber onto a package carried on the spindle.
During the spinning operation, it is imperative that the fiber be spun with a consistent thickness for both aesthetic and durability purposes. The unit commonly employed for gauging fiber thickness during spinning is “wraps per inch.”
Prior Art FIG. 1 illustrates a device 100 commonly employed to measure the number of wraps per inch associated with fiber being spun. As shown, the device 100 has a substantially rigid planar configuration including a mid portion 102 having a first width, and a pair of end portions 104 having a second width greater than the first width. For reasons that will soon become apparent, the mid portion 102 has a length of one (1) inch.
In use, fiber being spun must be wrapped about the mid portion 102 of the device 100 such that each wrapped portion abuts an adjacent wrapped portion. See Prior Art FIG. 2. Thus, the number of wraps of the fiber 200 that can fit between the end portions 104 indicates a number of wraps per inch.
Unfortunately, it is cumbersome to wrap and remove the fiber 200 using the device 100, as it this must be done manually. Furthermore, since the thickness gauging process must be carried out frequently during the spinning process, the necessary gauging may add a significant amount of time to the fiber spinning process.